Planting burdock, the tubers are a meter long

Precious varieties from Japan

Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha (from Hai Duong) used to be an office worker but has a special passion for agriculture. Diving deeply into the field of agriculture, he realized the potential of organic agriculture when people are gradually switching from "eating enough" to eating clean food with clear origin.

In 2017, he hired a Japanese expert specializing in organic agriculture to plant a pilot plant of 20 types of plants, to determine which plants have a lot of nutritional value to focus on exploiting the market. After a period of research and evaluation, he chose burdock.

Believing in the direction of economic development from this precious tree originating from Japan, Mr. Ha decided to establish Senfarm Agricultural Cooperative, renting 5 hectares of land outside Thai Binh riverbank in Thai Tan commune (Nam Sach district). , Hai Duong) to start a business.

Burdock is a herbaceous plant with ginseng-like properties. The bark contains saponins, many alkaline minerals, and is known to be an important ingredient in the preparation of food according to the macrobiotic method, a medicine widely used in some countries. Many studies have recorded the biological activities of burdock that have the effect of curing urinary retention, hypothermia, lowering blood sugar, antibiotics and anti-tumor...

At first, he could not help but be surprised because this is a new variety, the planting technique is also different from the traditional local trees.

First of all, the soil preparation, creating seed beds, it is necessary to carefully make the beds at least 40 - 50cm high, ensuring good drainage, because this is a tuber plant that grows from 60 - 120cm. By planting by seed, planting density is moderate, avoiding pests and diseases and achieving a higher harvest rate of grade 1 products. Planting soil must be alluvial soil, deep color layer, and rich in nutrients.

During the sowing process, the first 2 months must pay close attention to care, because young plants are very susceptible to insects and bad weather effects. Soil needs to be well-drained, because burdock is prone to root and tuber rot if it is flooded. After growing 5 leaves or more, the new plant is strong, standing firmly with the stake roots.

"Burdu is a relatively easy plant, it's only hard at the seedling stage, and when it's an adult, you just need to wait for harvest, no need to take care of it," said Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha.

Harvesting burdock is also different, because burdock roots are deep in the ground, with tubers up to 1.2 m long, requiring excavators to assist. On average, 1 sao costs more than 3 million VND to rent an excavator and 5 accompanying workers to harvest.

Productivity 12-13 tons/ha, income over 250 million VND/ha

Not only focusing on business development for his cooperative, but Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha also guided many people in the commune to plant and buy burdock roots, forming a chain of production, processing, and consumption. product consumption.

Currently, the Senfarm cooperative, led by Mr. Ha, is providing seeds (free of charge) and providing technical support to farmers. Burdock root products, after being harvested, will be purchased by the cooperative to offload the output products with the price of 10 million VND/sao (360 m2) or more.

As one of the households accompanying the Senfarm cooperative to plant burdock from the very beginning, Ms. Nguyen Thi Dao from Mac Binh village (Thai Tan commune, Nam Sach) shared: "Growing this tree is supported with seeds and at the same time, at the same time, it is supported by seeds. I don't have to pay the cost of fertilizers and pesticides. Every hectare of burdock I earn at least VND 150 million. I also don't have to worry about the output because I have an underwriting cooperative, so I feel secure in production."

Each hectare of burdock, if well cared for, usually yields 12-13 tons of tubers. Fresh burdock root is sold to high-end agricultural stores in Hanoi and food production units for between 100,000 and 150,000 VND/kg.

"From 6 months onwards, burdock is only harvested, but the economic efficiency is 2-3 times higher than that of carrot, which is a traditional crop in Hai Duong", said Senfarm Cooperative Director. strong.

Although there is a stable consumption market, Director Nguyen Manh Ha is still not satisfied with what has been achieved, when the goods sold are only raw products, the efficiency is higher than other crops but cannot be promoted. maximum value of precious trees.

He continued to research and research to produce other products such as fresh burdock, sliced dried burdock, burdock cake, fermented burdock products, burdock tea bags...

Up to this point, the Senfarm cooperative is the only unit in Vietnam that produces black burdock by natural fermentation, mastering farming and processing techniques.

What Mr. Ha is concerned about is how to build a quality raw material area, not only meeting domestic demand but also serving export demand.

"I've always wondered about production infrastructure. Only when there is adequate infrastructure can I make standard products. If I invest alone, I can't afford it. So I need support and help. from many sides", Mr. Ha expressed.

According to Mr. Ha's experience, burdock is a cold-loving plant, the effective time of sowing is from September to October. The soil suitable for burdock is loose soil, the best is alluvial soil in the riverside area.